willett



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.) R. A. WILLETT.

REPRBSS BRICK MACHINE.

No. 423,401. atented-Mar; 11, 1890..

$0M. Mm

ATTORNEYS n PETERS. Pholo-Lhholfw Wumnpmv. u. a

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)-

R. A. WILLETT. REPRESS BRICK MACHINE.

lNVENTOl-P:

Patented Mar. 11, 1890.

W/TNESSES: 4 rm v ON\N\ A TTORNE Y8 u. PETERS, Phulu-Mhngmphar. wnmn m. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

7 ROBERT A. VILLETT, OF BROOKLYN, NEIV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ISRAEL COOK, OF SAME PLACE.

REPRESS-BRICK MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 423,401, dated March 11, 1890.

Application filed December 4, 1889. Serial No. 332,578. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: on a shaft- 10, which is also journaled in the -1-3e it known that 1, ROBERT A. \VILLETT, side frames 1, as shown.

a citizen of the United States, residing at From the front of the frames 1 rise the Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State housings 11,which are built strongly, so as to 5 of New York, have invented certain new and readily resist strains of operation of the mausefulImprovements in Repress-Brick Machine. In these housings are formed slots chines; and I do hereby declare the follow- 12, which'constitute the slideways for the reing to be a full, clear, and exact description ciprocating transverse head 13, whose ends of the invention, such as will enable others are fitted in the slots 12 and are provided 1o skilled in the art to which it appertains to with projecting pins 1a for the adjustment of .make and use the same. the link 15, whose lower end is connected by This invention relates to the construction a wrist-pin with the power-lever 16, which is of that class of brick-machines which are depivoted in the frame 1 at the pin 17 as a fulsigned for use in repressing bricks which crum, the link and lever being duplicated on 15 have been molded either by hand or machine, both sides of the frame, and being preferably and are generally formed from previouslyarranged on the outside thereof. The adjustpuddled clay, the object of the invention being-bolts 18 are passed through the head 13 ing to, in a simple and automatic manner, acand into the cross-bar 19, to which are atcomplish the feeding of the bricks in gangs tached the plungers 20, whose horizontal sec- 20 into the machine, repress them, and automatition corresponds accurately with the size and cally deliver them therefrom in a finished con form of the finished brick which is to be the dition. product of the machine.

The invention consists in the construction Between the head 13 and the cross-bar 19 and combination of parts and devices subis inserted the adjusting-wedge 21,which is 25 stantially as hereinafter fully described and suitably slotted for the passage of the adjustclaimed. ing-bolts 18, and to correspond with the up- In the drawings which form part of this per inclined surface of the wedge 21 the specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of lower surface of the transverse head 13 is inthe complete machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view clined to a similar degree. Obviously, there- 0 of the same. Fig. 3 is an end elevation taken fore, assuming the head 13 to be stationary at the feeding end. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal for the moment, the lower end of the plungers sectional detail showing the repressing-plum 20 can be within sufficient limits raised or gers and means for adjusting the same, as lowered, thereby determining the extent of also the brick-feeding and delivery devices. pressure which is to be brought to bear upon 5 Fig. 5 is a detail showing the manner in the molded bricks in the act of repressing the which the bricks are fed into and delivered same. from the machine. Cams 22 on the outer ends of shaft 10 and I construct two massive side frames 1,which keyed thereto are arranged for the purpose are connected at suitable points by braces of causing thedesiredmovements of thepress- 40 and cross-bars, accordingto the requirements, ure-levers 16. These cams have the concenfor any particular use. In the said side bars tric portion 23, the rise 24, the final pressure- I journal the main driving-shaft 2, which may plane 25, and the retaining-plane 26, which is be provided with fast and loose pulleys 3 and concentric with the axis of the earn. 4, respectively. Between the frames 1 the The lever 16 has a roller 27 bearing on the 5 45 shaft 2 carries the pinion 5, and this meshes face of cam 22, and the operation will be as with a spur-wheel 6, mounted, on a parallel follows: As the cam moves around along with shaft 7, which is also journaled in the side the shaft 10 and gear-wheels 9 in the posi frames 1. This shaft 7 serves as the intertion shown in Fig. 1, the cross-head carrying mediate, and is provided near the frames 1 the plungers is at its uppermost position. Toe

50 with the corresponding pinions S S, which As the cam rotates in the direction of the armesh with the two large gear-whcels9 9,keyed row, the end of lever 16 is elevated at first of the cam causes a able point in the frames 1-as, for

rapidly by the rise 24 of the cam, this move- 34 and the other end ment causing the rapid depression of the plungers, gradually diminishing in speed until the roller 27 reaches the pressure-plane 25 of the cam, which corresponds with the moment of contact of the plungers with the bricks in the molds. The further movement slow but very powerful movement downward of the plungers in the molds, and effects the desired repressing action on the bricks until such pressure has reached a maximum; and then the concentric face 26 of the cam holds this pressure for a moment until the brick is thoroughly compressed. The further movement of the cam allows the roller 27 and that end of the lever to suddenly drop by its own weightalong the fall-plane 28 of the cam 22 until it reaches the face 23 of the cam. This fall-plane 28 causes the sudden rise of the head 13 and plungers, so as to elevate them out of the way for the convenient removal of the now repressed row of bricks.

The press-table consists of a heavy single or compound beam 29, standing across under the plungers, and on the upper face is fitl ed with the wearing-plates 30, which correspond precisely in vertical position with the plungers and are of the same size.

The feed-table 31 is arranged with ribs 32, between which the bricks are caused to slide by the automatic operation of my machine, and the feed-table is cut open at the presstable 29 30, the upper surface of the wearingplates 30, and the feed-table 31, as well as of the d elivery-table 33, being on the same general level, so that the bricks may slide along freely from the feed-table onto the wearing- .plates of the press-table, and thence onto the delivery-table 33. The opening in the table 31 is just wide enough to permit the moldbox 34 to pass down slightly over the wearing-plates 30, and as the mold-box is divided with internal partitions into a number of compartments, each corresponding to the finished brick, the wearing-plates constitute the bottoms of the several compartments in the moldbox when the latter is depressed to its lowest position, and when in such position the descent of the plungers 20 causes the latter to enter the said compartments from above.

In the operation of my machine it is obviously desirable to have the mold-box pass down over the several bricks of'the gang, which has been fed onto the press-plate before the pluugers begin fresh movement'- and remain in such position until the bricks have been compressed and the plnngers withdrawn, at which time the mold-box should be raised up, in order to leave the bricks free for the operation of the automatic feed and delivery devices. These operations are performed in the following manner: At a suitinstance, point 35-+are pivoted the levers 36 on the sides of the machine, one end of these levers being connected to the ends of the mold-box thereby lifting the mold-box connected to a link 37, which in turn is connected to a pivoted arm 38, centered conveniently on shaft 7, the pivotal junction of the link 37 with the arm 38 being provided with a roller 39, by whose movements, as controlled by the cams 40 and 41 on the faces of the larger gear-wheels 9, the required motions of the mold-box 34 are accomplished, as will be observed by inspection of the drawings. The cam 41 first causes the roller 39 to rise, which brings about a sudden depression of the mold-box 34 to its lowest position, the concentric face of the cam 41 then holding it in such position forabrief time, and, as the wheel 9 passes around the cam 40, strikes the roller 39 on the outside and forces it downwardly at a rapid rate,

34, and the inwardly-curved end of the cam 40 holds the mold-box in its elevated position until theforce of gravity and the distribution of the weights brings it again into contact with the rise on the cam 41, a concentric portion of the cam 40 in the meantime holding the mold-box in a stationary position when elevated.

The automatic feed and delivery of the bricks are accomplished in the following manner: The shaft 10 is fitted with a stationary slide or cross-head, on which, as a guide, the reciprocating yoke 42 may be moved freely back and forth horizontally. The yoke is extended in the direction of shaft 7 and is pivoted to a lever 43, which is conveniently fulcrumed on shaft 7, and at its upper end the lever 43 is slotted and fitted to a pin 44, at-

tached to thesliding frame 45, which rests upon the table 31 33 of the machine, or,-if desired, may be arranged with friction-roller contact'thereon. The frame 45 is given a reciprocating movement by means of the two cams 46 and shaft 10 and bear on the respective rollers 48 and 49. Cam 46 in striking roller 48 causes the movement of frame 45 toward the feedtable, and cam 47, striking roller 49, causes the return movement of the frame 45. Two swinging gates 50 and 51 are respectively pivoted in the frame 45 and extend transversely thereof, the longitudinal distance between gates 50 and 51 being somewhat greater than the length of the brick to be operated upon. Assuming, now, that a row of bricks has been deposited on the feed-table 31 at a point within the range of movement of the frame 45, on the forward movement of the frame the gate 50 strikes the ends of the bricks and tilts into a horizontal position, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 5, and after passing the row of bricks the gate falls into its vertical position, as shown by the full lines in the same figure. A pin 52, extending from the frame 45, prevents the swinging of the gate 50 in the other direction, and as the frame 45 moves backwardly the gate 50 engages the row of bricks and. draws them along the feed-table and onto the press-table 30. This movement of the bricks is brought 47, which are keyed on about by the action of the main portion of the cam 47. It is necessary to bring the row of bricks to exact position under the plungers, so that the mold-box 34 in descending will not damage the form of the bricks; but it is also necessary to move the frame 45 forward a slight distance to permit the down ward movement of the mold-box. This is accomplished by the projection 53 on the cam 47, which effects the slight retrogade movement of the frame 45. After this movement the cams 46 and 47 have no effect on the frame 45 until the pressure has been completed and the moldbox 34 again lifted. 'lhereupon the cam 46 begins to act on roller 48, and the row of now finished bricks is drawn backwardly onto the delivery-table 33 by the 50, and on the next forward movement of the frame 45 the gate 51 tilts upwardly, as indicated in Fig. 5, and passes freely over the row of finished bricks and falls between them and the operating-table of the machine, so that on the next backward movement of the frame 45 in drawing in a fresh row of bricks to the press-table the gate 51, by reason of the pin 54, is caused to pull the finished bricks and these operations are continuously repeatcd in the aforesaid automatic manner so long as the machine is kept in operation.

For continuous operation the finished bricks may be eventually delivered by the movements of the frame 45 and gate 51 onto an endless table, as indicated in Fig. l by the broken lines.

By driving the shaft 2 high rate of speed accordance with at a moderatelya machine constructed in the foregoing description maybe operated at a rate of from ten to fifteen strokes per minute of the repressing-plum gers, and as these may consist of any number up to ten or twelve within reasonable limits of strength of the machine the total capacity of the machine can be easily brought up to from thirty to forty thousand bricks per day of ten hours, and throughout this vast amount of work on the part of the machine the operations are entirely automatic, the pressure is precisely the same on every brick passed through the machine, and no manual labor is necessary further than to arrange for the delivery of the bricks in rows corresponding approximately to the transverse line of the table and the final feeding of the bricks into the machine proper. The operation of repressing and the delivery of the finished bricks are all done automatically.

1 claim as my invention 1. In a repress-brick machine, the combination, with a stationary press-table, of a gang of vertically-reciprocating plungers along the delivery-table 33,

ribs to a position under above the same having tion, a gang of vertically-movable molds having open tops and bottoms, means for moving said molds vertically to permit the introduction of the bricks under the plungers, and a feed-table in front of the press-tableprovided with longitudinallyarranged guiding-ribs adapted to guide a number of bricks simultaneously into position on the press-table.

2. In a repress-brick machine, the combination of a gang of vertically-reciprocating plungers having means of reciprocation, a stationary press-table, a gang of vertically-movable molds having open tops and bottoms, a feed-table having longitudinal guiding-ribs, and a horizontally-reciprocating feed-drag comprising a swinging gate adapted onits movement toward said feed-table to tilt and ride over the bricks thereon, and on its movement in the other direction to engage a row of bricks and draw them along to a position under the plungers.

3. In a repress-brick machine, the combination, with a. stationary press-table, of a gang of wertically reciprocating plungers above the same having means of reciprocation, a gang of vertically-movable molds having open tops and bottoms, means for moving said molds vertically to permit the introduction of the bricks under the plungers, a feedtable in front of the press-table provided with lon gitudin ally-arranged guiding-ribs adapted to receive between them and guide a number of bricks simultaneously into position on the press-table, and a horizontally-reciprocating feed-drag, comprising an open frame wide enough to embrace the row of bricks and having a swinging gate adapted on its movement toward said feed-table to tilt and ride over the row of bricks thereon and on its reverse movement to engage the row of bricks and draw them along between the guidingthe plungers, substantially as described.

nation of the press-table 29, having a gang of wearin g-plat-es 30, longitudinally-ribbed feedtable 31, and delivery-table 33, all on the same level, with a reciprocating head provided with the row of plungers 20, coinciding vertically with the plates 30, and the vertically-movable mold-box 34, apertured to surround and receive the plungers 20, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. ROBERT A. \VILLETI. Witnesses:

ISRAEL COOK,

T. J. Mo'lionn.

means of reoiprooa- ICC 4. In a repress-brick machine, the combi- IIO 

